Friday, September 5, 2008

Who are we?

This will be quick, just a little overview for those we may not have seen for a while. I'll attach some pictures later.

Jonas is the newest little Fisher. He is 8 months old today. The time has really flown - it always does. He was on the small end when he was born, and he got really sick when he was one month old so he got even smaller. He is up to the 5th percentile now, and doesn't look thin - he is just small. He looks about 6 months old, but he moves like he is 10 months old. He has been crawling for quite a while and is now starting to stand up and try to walk. He is really strong and tough - he gets run over by his older siblings occasionally and doesn't even whimper. I suppose that is an important characteristic in younger siblings. He is the sweetest thing, and is smiling and laughing about 99.99% of the time. His Dad calls him "Jack" and he is adored by his whole family. I am sad that we no longer have a newborn at home - I just love that stage - but he is such a joy and he really interacts with everyone, so this stage is fun too.

Grace is our only girl. She is 2.5 years old. She is a great balance of a tough kid who loves to wrestle and play with her big brothers and a girly-girl who loves to dress up and have her hair done. As we speak she is brushing my hair and singing songs that she is making up as she goes along. She is sweet and loving, but has a whiny streak lately that we are hoping she will outgrow. If you want a good pop in the jaw just call her a princess when her dad is around - he is insistent that we will not raise a spoiled princess. She is adorable and loves to play dolls and dance and sing.

Isaac is 4 and it will be hard to see him go off to school next year. He is a self-proclaimed "snuggle-bug," and he is a great help. He is always making me laugh. His name means laughter, and it fits him well. He is happy and so much fun. He is very smart and he really takes the time to sit and think about things. He is a problem solver, and is always quick to obey and to say "I'm sorry." He is very protective of his younger sister and brother, and he adores his big brother and loves to follow him around and copy what he is doing.

Samuel just turned 7 and started 2nd grade. I just can't believe that he is that old. He is a great gymnast, soccer play, violin player, artist, big brother, and friend. I love to just sit and talk to him and see how his mind works. He is always making a "project" or a plan. He is one of the most outgoing people I have ever met, and he makes friends so quickly. Everywhere we go he makes new friends. Everybody knows Sam! He is very empathetic and tender - he is always concerned with making sure that everyone is happy and having a good time. He loves school and does well at it. His memory is amazing, and he keeps me on my toes.

It is an amazing blessing a responsibility to be parents to these kids - they are really special people. I can't wait to see what they choose to do with their many talents.

We moved to New Hampshire in May of 2004. I can't believe that we have stayed in one place for so long! Before that we were pretty transient. Nate went to grad school in Florida and then took a job with Hewlett-Packard here. After about a year he left HP to take a job with BearingPoint. He is a management consultant, and he loves what he does (most of the time). He travels alot and gets to see the world (just don't ask him about Ireland - I'll have to remember to post about that sometime). He has also become a runner - he hasn't done a marathon yet, but he has been doing half-marathons, a sprint-triathalon, and next weekend he is part of a relay team for "Reach the Beach." Races have been good motivation for him to get in better shape, and it has been fun to go see him run. The kids love cheering for him.

I keep busy at home. Most of my days are pretty typical and full of cooking, cleaning, laundry, diaper changing, errands, etc. I babysit a little girl named Anna who is about Grace's age pretty regularly while her Dad is going back to school and her Mom is working. She has beautiful red hair - just like I wished for my kids. I am finishing my last BYU course via Independent Study and I will get my Bachelor's Degree this December. I am serving as the Stake Young Women's President, which keeps me hopping, but it has been a great opportunity to learn and grow and get to know people in our Stake.

We have had a busy, full summer and it is nice to move into the beautiful fall weather and the regular schedule! We are looking forward to going to my Sister's house in Michigan for Thanksgiving and having my whole family visit for Christmas.

Today's Tidbits

Isaac: "I'm going to make a machine that can make everything super. Everyone will want to be super. Then we will have to change the name of our Country to Super Country. That might be a problem though, because when everyone is super then nobody is. I guess I'll just have to make only one super for each country. Except Russia. They would be way too super."

Isaac has been practicing his directions - "right" and "left." Today whenever we needed to make a turn I would ask him which way it was. After several successive correct answers he said, "Mom, I'm a great which-wayer man."

Grace wanted "cheese cereal" for breakfast. We just couldn't figure out what she was talking about - she finally had to go get it all out of the cupboards herself. She is now enjoying a bowl of cheezits and fritos sprinkled generously with Parmesan.

Nathan sneezed this morning as he was getting ready for his half-marathon so I said to Isaac "I guess Daddy is too sick to run today, you will have to run his race for him." Isaac: "No, those big guys will all beat me up!"

I was putting a white button down blouse on Grace for church (she wore it under a sleeveless dress). She was so excited and said: "I'm going to be like Dad?" I said "yes," "Like Sam?" "yes" "Like Isaac?" "yes, and you'll wear a dress like Mommy." She put her hand over her eyes and said "NOT AGAIN!"

Isaac: "Mom, you said that the lady in the blue shirt (one of the child care workers at the gym) was nice, but she didn't tell me her name or invite me to her Birthday party. She is SO mean."

Uncle Ben: "What should I do for my date tonight?" Isaac: "Go to the dump, then go to McDonald's, then go to the store and buy some goldfish." Sam: "Go to a fancy dinner and a nice hotel" (We had to explain that it wouldn't be appropriate for Ben to do that unless he was married to the girl!)

Lora's friend: "Is that a wishlist on the board? Because that is my Christmas wish list, except for the doll." (This was Sam's spelling list for this week - doll, clock, rocket, lollipop, golfing, trampoline)

In a moment of frustration Isaac called me "Mommy Bradford Fisher!" (If you didn't guess - his middle name is Bradford)

Samuel and Isaac were playing in the playroom when I heard Samuel shout, "Isaac, you DEMOCRAT!!" I went in and asked him what a Democrat was and he said "You know, someone evil." Isaac solemnly nodded in agreement. I don't know where they got that - if you know my family you know that Grandma Cherie is not going to like this one!

Isaac was sitting next to me on the couch while I was writing emails on my laptop. He left for a minute and when he came back Grace had taken his spot. He said, "Mom, Gracie took my snuggle!"

Nate's sister Sherrie has a great feature on the side of her blog where she lists funny things her kids say and do. I am shamelessly copying her idea. Thanks Sherrie!